WPU Sweeps Eutectics for Undefeated Weekend

St. Louis, Mo.--The Statesmen men's volleyball team did not skip a beat Saturday as it swept Health Sciences and Pharmacy 3-0 in Heart of America Athletic Conference action.

Victorious in eight consecutive matches, #5 WPU (20-3, 13-2 Heart) won by scores of 25-23, 25-15, 25-19.  The navy and gold posted a .353-.188 advantage in hitting, tallied a 5-2 edge in blocks, and posted six aces (two for UHSP).

The visitors had a battle on their hands in the opening set.  Tied at 8-8, the Eutectics (17-11, 5-9 Heart) managed five of the next seven points for a 15-10 lead.  The Statesmen continued to fight, though, and recorded a pair of 3-0 runs to draw even once again.  WPU and UHSP went back and forth down the stretch, but at 23-23, the visiting crew scored two in a row to go up 1-0 on the day.

Despite the difficulty, WPU actually posted a match-high .393 attacking clip in the first set.

The second go-round was much less exciting as William Penn won the first three sequences and never trailed in the set for a 2-0 edge.

Much like the first set, the third round was tied for a while.  WPU actually trailed 13-11, but a 9-2 run put the navy and gold on top for good as they finished off their second sweep of the Eutectics this spring.  The Statesmen shut out UHSP 3-0 in Oskaloosa back on March 2.

Landon Krause (Sr., Appleton, Wis., Business Management) was busy all afternoon, tallying a team-high 17 kills on a .654 attack mark.  The senior served up two aces as well.

Charlie Figy (Sr., Appleton, Wis., Secondary Education PE K-12) was next in kills with eight (.583 attack pct.), while Britten Beallis (So., Naperville, Ill., Sports Management) was also productive with six winners (.417 attack).

Setter Matt Helmick (Sr., Fullerton, Calif., Business Management) notched 34 assists, while Devyn Zavala (Sr., Long Beach, Calif., Wellness and Recreation) and Joao Gabriel Filippelli (Fr., Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Business Management) each ended up with nine digs.  Figy headlined the blocking crew with five assists.

"This was a great win to cap off a nice weekend on the road," Head Coach Luke Bentley said.

Next Up: William Penn travels to Parkville, Mo. next Tuesday to face Park in Heart play at 7 p.m.